Chapter 35: Wasn't It You Who Taught Me Mathematics?

Li Li held her Snow Fox Beast in her arms, watching Zhao Jie walk away. Her strength was considerable—enough to potentially challenge the seeded contenders—yet she had lost to Zhao Jie. If it had been a matter of strength, she could have accepted it more easily, but she had just been trounced in intelligence, forced to pay a “stupidity tax.” The loss left her deeply dissatisfied.

“Damn it,” she muttered, stamping her foot in frustration after a long moment. Losing like this was simply too humiliating.

“Tactical players always have the dirtiest minds,” someone whispered from the spectator seats, echoing the unspoken thoughts of many. On paper, with an inherited freezing skill and a powerful finishing move, there was no apparent reason for the Snow Fox Beast to lose. After all, that Agumon seemed average at best, its only notable attack being a fairly strong small-scale flame, without even an inherited skill.

The battles continued, but Hua Feihua found herself losing interest. Her gaze drifted repeatedly between Zhao Jie and Han Qing at her side.

“You’ll be fighting him tomorrow, won’t you?” she asked.

“Yes,” Han Qing nodded. Only two remained in Group F—who else could she possibly face?

“Good. I hope you won’t disappoint me tomorrow,” Hua Feihua said, standing up to leave. She had been intrigued by that Agumon, but its attempt to eat the Elf Beast had soured her interest. The Elf Beast was so adorable, after all.

Han Qing scratched his head in confusion. “Don’t disappoint you”—did she want him to trounce Agumon mercilessly, or to go easy on it? If it was the latter, she was in Group A and he in Group F; they could only meet again in the finals. These highborn types always spoke in half-measures to show off their refinement—why not just wear tails and tuxedos to the match?

Of course, he only dared think these complaints, never utter them aloud.

...

“Hey, Mom, I’ve made it to the top thirty-two!” After the match, Zhao Jie returned to the hotel with Agumon, took out his phone, and eagerly dialed his mother to share the joy of victory.

“You advanced? Is Agumon hurt at all? I heard the matches can be dangerous. You must take good care of Agumon,” his mother replied.

Listening to her, Zhao Jie found himself at a loss—was he her son, or was Agumon? But he dared not ask, for fear of the answer.

“By the way, Mom, there should be a live broadcast on Hunan TV tomorrow. Make sure you’re cheering me on in front of the television!”

“All right, all right. My son is going to be on TV; I’ll be there watching,” she replied with a smile. Who didn’t want their child to succeed? Even a TV appearance was a significant event for an ordinary family like theirs. What she didn’t say was that she intended to have all their relatives and friends watch, too—so everyone would know: “That’s my son.”

“Okay, I’m off to dinner,” Zhao Jie said as the conversation petered out.

“All right, Xiao Jie, do you have enough money? If not, your father can—” Her words were cut off by the busy signal. She stood frozen for a moment, a bit lost, her happiness tinged with helplessness—a sight that would evoke pity in anyone who saw it. Only now did she realize that the well-behaved little boy she’d watched over had truly grown up.

“That rascal,” she chuckled softly after a while.

Zhao Jie hung up and retrieved a notebook filled with data he’d gathered from watching matches. His next opponent was the seeded player in Group F. Judging by the stats, that Gabumon outclassed Agumon in both speed and strength. Agumon’s only advantage lay in its use of finishing moves, but that was only what had been revealed so far. Tomorrow, Gabumon might display an even greater mastery of its skills.

He had to consider the possibility that Gabumon’s finishing moves would be significantly stronger in the next match. He knew his parents—and perhaps some relatives—would be watching. He had never given them a reason to feel proud before, though they had always treated him the same. Tomorrow, he was determined to win with style.

He had devised his strategy against the Snow Fox Beast by careful observation, allowing Agumon to win handily—provided the girl hadn’t seen through his plan. In the end, though she did, it was already too late. So far, Agumon had only revealed its mobile casting, quick-cast small fireball, and charged small fireball—nothing more.

After pondering his options for a long while, simulating many possibilities, Zhao Jie finally looked up to see dusk had fallen.

Time for dinner.

“Agumon, what’s one plus one times two? Get it right and you can have extra snacks tonight.”

Agumon blinked, pondering the question. After counting on its fingers, it raised four claws.

“Four? Are you sure?” Zhao Jie asked.

Agumon re-counted. One plus one is two, two times two is four—wasn’t that right? Agumon nodded, firmly.

“Did your gym teacher teach you math, Agumon?”

Agumon munched on snacks, its big eyes full of confusion—wasn’t it Zhao Jie who taught it math?

“Sorry, you got it wrong. All your snacks are confiscated tonight.”

As Zhao Jie spoke, he gathered up the treats Agumon had laid out.

“Huh? No! Please,” Agumon pleaded pitifully. Could it really have gotten such a simple problem wrong? Was Zhao Jie tricking it?

“No more whining. Let’s go, time for dinner.” Patting Agumon’s head, Zhao Jie opened the door and beckoned.

Man and beast headed out together.

“How could I get it wrong? How could I get it wrong?” Agumon muttered as they walked. The thought of a snackless night made it deeply sad. Poor belly—it would just have to endure tonight.